Rutgers Law School Appoints First Black Woman Dean

“I know that our institution has a very bright future and will continue to provide a high-quality legal education” says Kimberly Mutcherson.

Black women are continuing to break major racial barriers in the realm of academia. According to theJournal of Blacks in Higher Education, Kimberly Mutcherson was recently selected to become the dean of Rutgers University’s law school.

Mutcherson’s historic appointment is one of many firsts, the news outlet writes. She is the first woman, the first Black person and the first LGBT individual to serve in this role. Mutcherson started her journey at Rutgers 17 years ago as an assistant professor. She then moved up the ranks and in 2015 was named vice dean of the New Jersey-based university’s law school.

Mutcherson—who earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a juris doctorate degree from Columbia Law School—has conducted research surrounding reproductive justice. During her career she’s worked with the Center for Reproductive Rights and the HIV Law Project. “I am thrilled to be able to continue my service to Rutgers law as co-dean,” said Mutcherson, according to the Philadelphia Tribune. “I know that our institution has a very bright future and will continue to provide a high-quality legal education and produce lawyers who change the profession and the world for the better.”

Rutgers University-Camden Chancellor Phoebe A. Haddon said that Mutcherson will play an integral role in building upon the momentum and energy at Rutgers Law. “She is passionate about the value of a legal education that prepares creative thinkers who are ready to be leaders in virtually every aspect of our society. She sees with clarity the role of the law in protecting individual rights” said Haddon.

Mutcherson started her new role on January 1. Her appointment comes just months after Olivette Otele made history by becoming the first Black woman history professor in the UK after being selected to teach at Bath Spa University.

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I'll add that Cynthia Brown has been in prison for 15 years, since the age of 16. She is 30. Brown was NOT pardoned; the governor commuted her sentence, meaning she will still have a record and go on parole for 10 years. https://t.co/3ZLy0nmC7e

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Cyntoia Brown being granted Clemency and release on Aug. 7 for defending and freeing herself from sex trafficking is a big step forward on 2019, but still shows just how unjust and broken the justoce system actualy is. #CyntoiaBrown

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@CyntoiaBrown having her sentence commuted is a very good thing. I am happy that she will be released in August to supervised parole. She will be on parole for 10 years. That will mean she'll have spent 24 years under state control by that time. I'm sorry but that isn't justice.

Continue reading Cyntoia Brown Is Granted Clemency And Has Life Sentence Commuted

Cyntoia Brown Is Granted Clemency And Has Life Sentence Commuted

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A Black woman serving life in prison in Tennessee for fatally defending herself as a teenager has had her sentence commuted, according to a new report. Cyntoia Brown, who was 16 years old in 2004 when she shot and killed Johnny Mitchell Allen, 43, in self-defense, was on Monday granted clemency by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, the Associated Press reported.
https://twitter.com/insaintity/status/1082336753166385152
The 30-year-old was reportedly expected to be released from prison in August of this year.
https://twitter.com/rolandsmartin/status/1082324176139104256
"Haslam said Monday that he would show mercy to the now 30-year-old," the AP wrote. "She will remain on parole for 10 years."
The AP continued: "Brown said in a statement that she will do everything to justify Haslam’s faith in her and thanked her family for their support."
It should be noted that Haslam commuted Brown's sentence and didn't pardon her, which means she will still have a criminal record.
The Tennessean published Brown's full statement about being granted clemency:
“Thank you, Governor Haslam, for your act of mercy in giving me a second chance. I will do everything I can to justify your faith in me.
I want to thank those at the Tennessee Department of Corrections who saw something in me worth salvaging, especially Ms. Connie Seabrooks for allowing me to participate in the Lipscomb LIFE Program. It changed my life. I am also grateful to those at the Tennessee Department of Corrections who will work with me over the next several months to help me in the transition from prison to the free world.
Thank you to Dr. Richard Goode and Dr. Kate Watkins and all of you at Lipscomb University for opening up a whole new world for me. I have one course left to finish my Bachelor’s degree, which I will complete in May 2019."
Brown was arrested in 2004 after she thought Allen was reaching for a gun when he tried to solicit her for sex. Prosecutors argued she wanted to rob him and was not defending herself. After being tried as an adult, Brown was convicted of first-degree murder in 2006. Due in part to outrage on social media and attention from celebrities including Rihanna and Kim Kardashian, Brown's story went viral. Her case went all the way to the Tennessee Supreme Court, which ruled last month that she couldn't become eligible for parole until she served at least 50 years in prison.
She had already served more than a decade behind bars as of Monday's ruling.
The jubilant reactions from Monday's decision reverberated across social media and underscored how big of a legal win this was for social justice advocates who have been fighting for Brown's freedom for years.